Office



ISO OOMO (NoModeL) I 2Bheets-Shet 1 T. A. B1) N.

ELEGTRIG L0 TIVE.

Patented May 24, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT- O'Frrcn.

'liHQMAS A. EDISON, OF LLEWELLYN PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNCR TO THE EDISON ELECTRIC LIGHT "COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC LocoMoTlvE.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,492, dated May 24, 1892.

Original application filed June 3, 1880, Serial No. 11.243. Divided and application filed liiay 20, 1882, Serial No. 61,965. Again divided and this application filed June 9, 1891, Serial No. 395,702. (No model.) Patiihted in England September 25. 1880, No.

3,894; in Canada March 31,1881,N0.12,568; in India May 3,

May 2'], 1881, No. 141,752; in New South Wales June 25, New Zealand August 2, 1881, No. 542.

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EDISON, of Llewellyn Park, in the county or Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and 5 usefullmprovementin Electro-MagneticRailway Systems, (for which I have obtained Let ters Patent in Great Britain, No. 3,894, dated September 25, 1880; in Canada, dated March 31, 1881; in India, N0. 3-itl,date,d 1o May 3, 1881; in Victoria, No. 3,012, dated May 12, 1881'; in France,No. 141,752,,dated, May 27, 1881; in New South-Wales,N0. 948, dated June 25, 1881; in Queensland,,No. 21/ 299, dated J one 30, 1881, andin New Zealand,;No. i5 542, dated August 2, 1881;) and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the, letters of reference marked thereon. V

The object of this invention is to furnish an economical system of electro magnetic railways or tramways which,=while useful in any locality, shall be particularly adapted to regions where the traffic is too light for ordi- 2 5 nary steam-railways or where themain bulk of the traffic is limited tocertain seasons or where the difficulties or expense of grading render ordinary steam-roads impracticable.

To this end the invention consists in acornplete electromagnetic railway system embracing the generation, distribution, and utilization of electric currents as a motive power and in the novel devices and combination of devices therefor, as more particularly described and claimed.

In carrying my invention into eifect the rails of the track are electrically connected, so that each line of rails forms a part of the circuit. For the traveling motor or locomo- 0 tive an electro-magnetic engine is mounted upon a suitable frame supported upon the axles of the driving and other wheels. In order that the circuit from one line of rails to the other be not directly through the Wheels 5 and axles, but be through the motor, each car is, so to speak, electrically cut in two by the interposition of insulating material somewhere in its structure, the poles of the motor being connected one to each division.

1381.110. Sel in Victoria May 12, 1881, No. 3,012,- in France 1881, No. 948'; i n Queensland \Tune 30, 1881, No. 21/299, and in A preferable method is to form the hub and flange of a Wheel of separate metallic parts, uniting them by bolting each to awooden web, which in s'ulates the two, whereby the body of the car and the axles are insulated from the track. ,Contaet-springs bear against the flanges or,

preferably, against hubs secured thereto by cross-bars or spiders whose outer ends are bolted to the flanges. These contacts are conne'ctedto'the brushes of the motor, one to each, respectively. I

Provision is made to dispense with the necessity of much grading,enabling the engine to ascend ordinarily-impracticable grades, as follows: Upon one or both sides of the engine- 'car awheel, having a grooved face adapted to clasp the head of the rail, is mounted in a hearing so combined with a screw or other liftingdevice that it may be depressed into or elevated from contact with the rail. Upon its axle is fixed a rag or sprocket wheel. Upon, the main driving-axle is mounted a friction-wheel having attached to it a rag or sprocket pinion. To this wheel motion is communicated from a friction-wheel on the motor-shaft through an intermediate wheel mounted ina swinging frame, as befo're described.

A sprocket-chain connects the sprocketwheel on the axle of the grooved wheel and the sprocket-pinion- Under ordinary circum- 8o stances this grooved wheel is not in contact with the track. When necessary, the grooved wheel isdepressed and grasping and biting upon the rail-head pulls the load without slipping. Bythisarrangementthereisfurnished an economical and reliable system in any 10- cality or over any grades where ordinary wagon traffic may be carried on.

In the accompanying, drawings I show more in detail how this invention may be carried into elfect. It is to be remembered, however, that these details may be varied or equivalents used, and that therefore [the not limit myself generally to the precise details illustrated.

Flgure 1 is a perspective View of an'engine- 5 car. Fig. 2 1s a perspective of; the raiLg-ripe and G not being in contact.

ping device for ascending grades, and Fig. 3, is a section of a grooved wheel and rail.

13 is a dynamo-electric generator connected in circuit with the track-rails R.

F is any suitable framework suspended from the main driving-axle and placed upon the other axle. v

The wheelsnsed under the engine-car and all other cars are constructed as shown. The flange F" and the hub M are inade separately and connected by a wooden web'O, to which they are bolted, the wheel then consisting of a metallic hub, a metallic flange, and an intervening wooden or insulating web. By this means the axle and body of the car-are insulated from the flanges and track and the current cannot pass therethrough from one? rail to the other. On the engine-car a spider or frame N is secured to the flange F, so as, to be in electrical contact therewith, but not touching or forming contact with the hub M. Upon'the 'center of N is aboss "or spindle n, on which bears a contact-brush held byarm P. The current then passes from one line of;

rails throughone flange F, frame N, boss or,

spindle n, contact-brush P to the electric en-; gine, thence by the other arm P, spindle; frame,'and flangeto'the other line of'rails; 3

Motion is communicated to the main driv-E;

'ing-axle g as follows. Upon axle g'is a tion-wheel G. Upon the shaft 0 of the magnetic engine is a friction-pulley e, the pulleysj In 'a' swinging." frame f, pivoted at h, is mounted a friction-.1 pulley t. Theframe fibeing'depresseibears upon e and G, and communicatesmotionfrom e'to G, the percentage transferred being pro portioned to the frictional contact of i upon e'and G.

L is a grooved wheel in a; vertically-adj'ustfi;

"able bearing moved by the screw and hand-f.

wheel 8. The groove in L is shown in cross-,j section in Fig. 3, and is shaped to grip both.

sides of the'hea'd of the rail. Upon the shaft of' wheel L is a sprocket-wheel K. Upon the mainaxle is a sprocket-wheel I. Both sprocle; etwheels are mechanically connected by sprocket chain m. The current flowing through the electric engine produces rotation of the armature-shaft, which is communicated} to the axle 9 through the friction-wheels e, 'i,

and G. When a grade is reached, orwhen any conditiono'f the track isencounteredwhich causes the car-wheels to slip, the'screw S is operated to depress grooved wheel L upon the railR, inotion of rotation being imparted to said wheel through wheels I and K by chain m. The grooved wheel L grips, grasps, or bites into the edges of the rail-head to such an extent that slipping is avoided and the car is moved steadily and vigorously.

I do not herein claim in an electro-magneti'c railroad-en gine the combination, with the electro-motor mounted thereon and the drivingwheels thereof, of means for connecting or' disconnecting the two at will, whereby the engine maybe stopped bywithdrawing the'power from the driving-wheels without stoppage of "the motor, as that is claimed in another application,Serial No. 395,700, filedbyme Any'patentablesubject matter hereinsho'wn or-described butnot "claimed forms-the sub ject-matter of my concurrently-pending applications, Serial No. 11,243, filed June 3, 1880, and Serial No.' 6l,955, filedMay 20, 1882, or of one of the divisions thereof, serially'numbered 395,700, 395,701, 395,703, 395,704, 395,705, filed "June 9,1891.

'ters?1?atent,is

1. The combination' of a'wh'eeled vehicle, an

"electric motor located thereon mechanically connected with-a wheel: or axle thereof, a

:source of electricityfacircuit including'said Lsource'of' electrieityarid motor; a track corn- 1 posed of rails'l u pon which said vehicle travels,

and a; supplemental greeted tractiomwheel 'uponsaid vehicle rotated by the same soul-fee" "of pewer as the meter, adapted togras or grip the track, substantially as describe 2. The'comhination of awhecled vehicle, an electric motordocated thereon mechanically 1 hat-I claim,and desire to secure by Lotconnected with a wheel or axle'thereof, a

source ot,electricity,'a circuit including the sourceof; electricity and motor, a' track composedof rails'upon which saidvehicle travels, a supplemental traction-wheelupon said vethe motor, and means for "mechanically connecting and disconnecting sai'd wheel with re- J om: F. RANDOLPH.

hicle' rotated by the same-source o'fpoweras jspeet'to'the track, whereby said wheel may be usedasneccssity requires, substantially as 

